Nephilim
by Purplewillowtrees
Summary: Ahsoka thought her former Master was dead, but when a figure approaches herself and Barriss with his news, she has no choice but to follow. To save Barriss.


**Nephilim.**

If you look into the lives of others, then you may find one or two things similar to your own life, love, compassion, and sometimes war.

The war following the Rebel alliance has come.

The Empire is looking for the Rebels, for the rogue Jedi who fight against them.

And yet, they are so easily hidden in sight.

Ahsoka and Barriss walked, the silence between them was a loud noise that buzzed within their ears. The rain patted against the hard soil, running off into small cracks within the ground instead of sinking into the soil that so desperately needed the moisture.

Barriss put her hand up, stopping Ahsoka in her tracks and bent down slowly, her hand fiddling with the dry soil before crushing it and dropping it to the ground.

"Well, we can safely say we're on the right track" Barriss whispered, a smile spreading across her face as she pushed herself to her feet.

A small light appeared in Ahsoka's eye, something Barriss hadn't seen for a long, long time.

Since the calling of Order 66, the death or Jedi, the disappearance of her former master, Ahsoka had been reserved, kept her thoughts to herself. Only in the few times that they managed to get away alone had she opened up, became herself again, playful, romantic and among other things happy.

A small crack wipes the smile from Ahsoka's face; she feels as she guides herself into the force, within her mindset of hearing the distant sounds around them and places a hand onto Barriss's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "Barriss" she whispered, bending down towards her ear and letting her breath flow down her neck "We're not alone."

Barriss slid a hand down Ahsoka's lekku, pulling her in towards her "Finally some action" she whispered back before taking her mouth in her own and kissing her deeply.

Their sabres reached their hands and were ignited before the Storm Troopers knew what had hit them; their heads hit the ground whilst their bodies followed in suite, a small trickle of blood ran off into the small cracks, mixing with the water to make a watery concoction. The two came apart, a small smile plastered on each of their faces as they pushed themselves to their feet slowly; their eyes followed the blood trail into it sank into the dried soil.

Something changed.

The wind.

The sky.

The very air that they were breathing.

The sky began to darken into a deep blue; flecks of grey and black began to dot across it, a heavy breathing began in the distance.

The flickering presence of something evil turned both Barriss and Ahsoka; their blood ran cold, though the rain blurred their vision and the wind twisted their thoughts, the figure standing in the distance was a presence known to all.

Tall, dark, and an ominous heavy breathing.

Something that had been a haunting within the Rebellion and had recently began haunting Ahsoka stood before them, a red sabre at his side and his dead eyes fixed upon them.

"I see the sight of danger entices you young Jedi" the dark voice boomed as he took a step closer towards them. Ahsoka's hand enfolded around Barriss's, tightening as she gripped it. She wanted to be in her arms, to place her head on her shoulder but the timing was certainly the wrong time to be thinking these thoughts.

"Lord Vader" Barriss's voice in Ahsoka's ear seem to bring her from her daze, the noticeable hate that was laced in her voice came off like poison, "What brings you to these parts?"

Vader took a step forward, the soil beneath his feet sinking slightly. "The two of you." Their hands released from the grip known as Ahsoka's hold and reached for their sabres "You have become a little too powerful."

Another step, their sabres were out before his foot at hit the ground. "Too powerful."

The Sith made his move and so did the Jedi.

Their sabres connected in a matter of seconds, Barriss had swung towards his legs whilst Ahsoka connected her blade with the Sith.

Vader pushed the young torgrutan off without concern, sending his sabre up for the next attack; the force coming from Barriss sent him stumbling backwards.

Ahsoka joined Barriss at her side, removing a second sabre from her belt and giving a small nod to her companion.

"Today you will see your down fall Lord Vader" Ahsoka shouted above the rain, a crack of lightning darting across the sky and lighting it, the ground rumbling beneath them. Ahsoka leapt gracefully behind Vader before swinging her sabres into his one, feeling the full force of the impact as he held her back and again pushed her from him. Before Barriss was given a chance to send her sabre towards the Sith she felt something tighten around her throat, it constricted and twisted around her like a snake moving on it's prey. She watched Ahsoka get to her feet quickly and cast her eyes towards her, then her eyes flicked to Vader before launching herself towards him once more, one sabre pressing on his own, the other, swinging around and pressing it against him.

She flipped from her position of pressing against the Sith and clipped him in the face, his grip on Barriss loosening, forcing him to release her.

Ahsoka quickly made her way to her companions' side, her finger sliding to her pulse and her head bending down to her ear "Barriss" she whispered, placing her sabres to the ground for a second or two "Just stay with me." She gently moved a strand of hair from Barriss's eye and kissed her gently on the cheek before lifting her head.

Vader was back on his feet, his breathing deepened and Ahsoka pushed herself to her feet, picking her sabres up as she did so. "You will stay away from her" she hissed, her tongue curling down the back of her throat as she ignited her lightsabers and placed herself in a defensive position in front of Barriss. The rain dripped down the back of her neck making her shiver, the heat from her sabres countered it by warming her arms, she turned her head around slightly to Barriss who was still unmoving behind her.

She moved forward again and swung her sabres towards the Sith, he ducked and she moved to his right. His sabre went up in a matter of seconds and held her back; her muscles were becoming weaker each minute she fought. She felt her feet leave the ground involuntarily, her arms dropped to her side with no resistance as she was flung to the ground. Dirt gathered around her, she sat in a filthy puddle and watched it turn red.

She lifted her hand and swore under her breath.

Blood.

_Her blood_.

"Ahsoka, do not resist me" Vader called, walking over towards her and watching as she struggled to retreat. She scraped away more of the skin on her hands as she pushed herself away from the tall figure booming above her.

"Trust me, like you did all those years ago."

"What do you mean?"

Ahsoka was in a way curious.

Something was there, something…familiar.

"Like you trusted Anakin Skywalker."

"Anakin Skywalker is…" Ahsoka couldn't bring herself to say the words; they stuck in her throat "Dead." She moved her head around Vaders body, looking towards Barriss; her still body was soaked through, dirt was covering her clothing, and her sabre lay to the side of her, filthy but shining.

"Anakin Skywalker is not dead, just the name" Vader took a step towards Ahsoka again, but this time she didn't move away, she just looked at him.

"Ahsoka, I am Anakin."

Ahsoka shook her head roughly, her jaw clenched and she bit her lip from crying out, "No, you're lying" she shouted, unable to stop the tears.

She watched as Vader reached behind him, removing something small, but obviously delicate from his belt.

He held it out towards her and for a second, Ahsoka felt emotion drain from his body towards her, she was sure that if he could he would have had a tear drip down his face. His hand opened and he let down a small chain, she wanted to reach out and touch it. It felt so familiar, it drained itself of her signature, Anakin's force signature.

"No."

"Ahsoka, please."

Ahsoka watched as Vaders hand reached out towards her, she swallowed to hold back the tears that were welding in her eyes. Instinctively she rose her hand and took his, the leather glove familiar and warm to her skin. She wanted to be beside Barriss, to hold her and protect her from what she was going to do. Ahsoka her padawan braid from her former Masters hand, fiddling with it and twisting it through her fingers until she gripped it gently.

"I trusted you Anakin" Ahsoka whispered, feeling his leathered hands hold her shoulders and gently hold them.

"I stood by you when no-one else did" Vader replied to her, equalling her speech in how loud her speaks.

"You weren't the only one to stay beside me."

The rain flicked from Vader's suit into Ahsoka's face making her wipe it away, one of Vaders hands moved from her shoulder and wiped her cheek himself.

"Ahsoka, I can help you. I can help you save those you love." He turned around towards Barriss and nodded "I can help you save her."

Ahsoka's eyes lit up and she looked up desperately, watching as her former Master turned towards her "You can?" she asked, as innocent as she had been when she'd first become his apprentice all those years ago.

He nodded.

She took in a breath and gripped her braid harder "What do I do?"

"Join me."

* * *

Barriss felt her eyes pull open, the feeling of the rain drip down her back. She wondered where Ahsoka was, there was no sounds of lightsabers clashing, just the rain on the cold hard ground.

"Ahsoka" she whispered, lifting her head as much as her broken body would allow.

Ahead of her she saw two figures, tall and dark, hard to make out in the rain. She gripped the ground and began to pull herself along, feeling her clothes rip on the rugged ground, dirt clinging to her bare skin as her fingers dug into the ground.

Again her head lifted, but she deeply regretted it.

Ahead of her the figures had come into the light, the tall dark one was lit up by lightning that had etched across the sky like a crack, the light shone against his armour.

Vader.

The figure beside him was smaller, but more curved.

Montrals were lit up in the light, pale orange skin reflected into Barriss's eye. "Ahsoka!" she tried to call out as far as she could but her voice was weak, but a single turn from Ahsoka showed pain on her face.

It was obvious she had been crying, from the moment Ahsoka's eyes touched Barriss's she turned her head downwards.

'_I'm sorry Barriss, I'm trying to save you._'

The mental message sent stung, as Ahsoka turned away from her, Barriss wanted to shout to her.

To get to her feet and run to Ahsoka, to shake her, to hug her, to say everything will be alright.

But she didn't have the strength.

"Ahsoka please" she called again, but the clap of thunder above her drowned out her voice, the crack of lightning shining the tears that flowed down her face when the rain just washed them away.

Her hands gripped the dirt in below her, the water dripping from it into a dirty puddle.

She was alone again.

And the woman she loved had left her in the ground.

Waiting for the help of her love to return to her once again.


End file.
